Urine and serum-based ELISA using a recombinant protein and synthetic peptide for the diagnosis of tegumentary leishmaniasis.

The diagnosis of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) presents problems by the variable sensitivity and specificity of the tests, and the biological samples used are also invasive. Here, ELISA experiments were performed using paired TL patient urine and serum samples in reaction against the recombinant LiHyS protein, a predicted B cell epitope and parasite antigenic extract (SLA). Two hundred and five paired samples were used, which were provided by TL patients, healthy controls and patients with Chagas disease, leprosy, malaria or HIV-infected.

Preclinical evaluation of immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a recombinant chimeric protein vaccine against visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a tropical disease that can be fatal if acute and untreated. Diagnosis is difficult, the treatment is toxic and prophylactic vaccines do not exist. parasites express hundreds of proteins and several of them are relevant for the host's immune system.

Bariatric surgery blunts nitrate-mediated improvements in cardiovascular function of overweight women by interfering with gastric S-nitrosothiol formation.

Inorganic nitrate (NO) and nitrate-rich foods have been shown to exert antioxidative effects and lower blood pressure in experimental animal models and human clinical studies. The specific handling of nitrate, including its enterosalivary recirculation, secretion into saliva, oral microbial reduction to nitrite (NO), and the pH-dependent nitrosative capacity in the stomach have all been recognized as being important for nitrate's beneficial effects. Obesity is of major health concern worldwide and associated with increased cardiovascular risk; whether nitrate lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function in this setting has not been investigated.

Spotted fever diagnosis using molecular methods.

Rickettsiosis is a disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Rickettsia, and is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease of great medical and veterinary importance. Given the urgent need to develop new diagnostic methods for detecting this disease, the present review aimed to evaluate the number of publications dedicated to the identification of Rickettsia spp. in human samples using molecular methods, such as polymerase chain reaction and its variations.

Recombinant proteins as promising antigens applied to the immunodiagnosis of Chagas disease: a scoping review.

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan , is an important public health problem, occurring mainly in Latin America. The disease has a major social and economical effect, negatively impacting the life of the infected individuals, and bringing great costs to public health. An early and accurate diagnosis is essential for administration of early treatment.

Non-invasive urine-based ELISA using a recombinant Leishmania protein to diagnose tegumentary leishmaniasis.

The diagnosis of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) is hampered by variable sensitivity and/or specificity of the tests. Serological assays are suitable to diagnose visceral leishmaniasis (VL); however, they present low performance for the detection of TL cases. Additionally, blood collection to obtain patient serum represents a challenge, as it is an invasive and uncomfortable procedure, requiring laboratorial infrastructure and trained professionals.

Recombinant multiepitope proteins expressed in Escherichia coli cells and their potential for immunodiagnosis.

Recombinant multiepitope proteins (RMPs) are a promising alternative for application in diagnostic tests and, given their wide application in the most diverse diseases, this review article aims to survey the use of these antigens for diagnosis, as well as discuss the main points surrounding these antigens. RMPs usually consisting of linear, immunodominant, and phylogenetically conserved epitopes, has been applied in the experimental diagnosis of various human and animal diseases, such as leishmaniasis, brucellosis, cysticercosis, Chagas disease, hepatitis, leptospirosis, leprosy, filariasis, schistosomiasis, dengue, and COVID-19. The synthetic genes for these epitopes are joined to code a single RMP, either with spacers or fused, with different biochemical properties.

Immunotherapy Combining Mimotopes Selected by Phage Display Plus Amphotericin B Is Effective for Treatment Against Visceral Leishmaniasis.

The treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) causes toxicity in patients, entails high cost and/or leads to the emergence of resistant strains. No human vaccine exists, and diagnosis presents problems related to the sensitivity or specificity of the tests. Here, we tested two phage clones, B1 and D11, which were shown to be protective against Leishmania infantum infection in a murine model as immunotherapeutics to treat mice infected with this parasite species.

A recombinant chimeric antigen constructed with B-cell epitopes from Mycobacterium leprae hypothetical proteins is effective for the diagnosis of leprosy.

The diagnosis if leprosy is difficult, as it requires clinical expertise and sensitive laboratory tests. In this study, we develop a serological test for leprosy by using bioinformatics tools to identify specific B-cell epitopes from Mycobacterium leprae hypothetical proteins, which were used to construct a recombinant chimeric protein, M1. The synthetic peptides were obtained and showed good reactivity to detect leprosy patients, although the M1 chimera have showed sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) values higher than 90.

The use of peptides for immunodiagnosis of human Chagas disease.

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, continues to be a serious public health problem in Latin America, worsened by the limitations in its detection. Given the importance of developing new diagnostic methods for this disease, the present review aimed to verify the number of publications dedicated to research on peptides that demonstrate their usefulness in serodiagnosis. To this end, a bibliographic survey was conducted on the PubMed platform using the keyword "peptide" or "epitope" combined with "Chagas disease" or "Trypanosoma cruzi"; "diagno*" or "serodiagnosis" or "immunodiagnosis", without period restriction.

Accuracy improvement enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using superparamagnetic/polyethylene glycol) nanoparticles for leishmaniasis diagnostic.

Serodiagnosis methods have been used as platforms for diagnostic tests for many diseases. Due to magnetic nanoparticles' properties to quickly detach from an external magnetic field and particle size effects, these nanomaterials' functionalization allows the specific isolation of target analytes, enhancing accuracy parameters and reducing serodiagnosis time. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized and functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and then associated with the synthetic Leishmaniosis epitope.

Serodiagnosis of paucibacillary and multibacillary leprosy using a recombinant chimeric protein composed of specific B-cell epitopes derived from Mycobacterium leprae proteins.

Leprosy diagnosis is difficult due to the clinical similarity with other infectious diseases, and laboratory tests presents problems related to sensitivity and/or specificity. In this study, we used bioinformatics to assess Mycobacterium leprae proteins and formulated a chimeric protein that was tested as a diagnostic marker for the disease. The amino acid sequences from ML0008, ML0126, ML0308, ML1057, ML2028, ML2038, ML2498 proteins were evaluated, and the B-cell epitopes QASVAYPATSYADFRAHNHWWNGP, SLQRSISPNSYNTARVDP and QLLGQTADVAGAAKSGPVQPMGDRGSVSPVGQ were considered M.

Treatment using vanillin-derived synthetic molecules incorporated into polymeric micelles is effective against infection caused by Leishmania amazonensis species.

Treatment against leishmaniasis presents problems, mainly due to the toxicity of the drugs, high cost, and the emergence of resistant strains. A previous study showed that two vanillin-derived synthetic molecules, 3s [4-(2-hydroxy-3-(4-octyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)propoxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde] and 3t [4-(3-(4-decyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)-2-hydroxypropoxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde], presented antileishmanial activity against Leishmania infantum, L. amazonensis, and L.

A Review on the use of Synthetic and Recombinant Antigens for the Immunodiagnosis of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis.

Improving the diagnostic technology used to detect tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) is essential in view of it being a widespread, often neglected tropical disease, with cases reported from the Southern United States to Northern Argentina. Recombinant proteins, recombinant multiepitope proteins, and synthetic peptides have been extensively researched and used in disease diagnosis. One of the benefits of applying these antigens is a measurable increase in sensitivity and specificity, which improves test accuracy.

Targeting with Structural Analogs of Natural Products the Purine Salvage Pathway in by Computer-Aided Drug-Design Approaches.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) has a high death rate, with 500,000 new cases and 50,000 deaths occurring annually. Despite the development of novel strategies and technologies, there is no adequate treatment for the disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find structural analogs of natural products as potential novel drugs to treat VL.

New synthetic molecules incorporated into polymeric micelles used for treatment against visceral leishmaniasis.

Treatment against visceral leishmaniasis (VL) presents problems, mainly related to drug toxicity, high cost and/or by emergence of resistant strains. In the present study, two vanillin synthetic derivatives, 3 s [4-(2-hydroxy-3-(4-octyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)propoxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde] and 3 t [4-(3-(4-decyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)-2-hydroxypropoxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde], were evaluated as therapeutic candidates in a murine model against Leishmania infantum infection. Molecules were used pure (3 s and 3 t) or incorporated into Poloxamer 407-based micelles (3 s/M and 3 t/M) in the infected animals, which also received amphotericin B (AmpB) or Ambisome® as control.

Recreational futsal provides broad-spectrum fitness and health benefits but no blood pressure effects in men with treated hypertension - a randomised controlled trial.

We determined the coadjuvant effect of a recreational futsal (RF) programme versus standard care alone (CON) in men with treated arterial hypertension (TAHT). Thirty-nine men with TAHT were randomised to RF ( = 20; 48 ± 8 years; systolic blood pressure [SBP]: 122 ± 14 mmHg) with 2-3 one-hour sessions/week for 3 months, or to CON ( = 19; 51 ± 6 years; SBP: 126 ± 13 mmHg). Participants were assessed at baseline, at 3 months, and after 1 month of training cessation (4 months).

DHA-rich fish oil plays a protective role against experimental cerebral malaria by controlling inflammatory and mechanical events from infection.

Every year, thousands of children, particularly those under 5 years old, die because of cerebral malaria (CM). Following conventional treatment, approximately 25% of surviving individuals have lifelong severe neurocognitive sequelae. Therefore, improved conventional therapies or effective alternative therapies that prevent the severe infection are crucial.

Immunization with recombinant LiHyp1 protein plus adjuvant is protective against tegumentary leishmaniasis.

Tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) is the main clinical manifestation of leishmaniasis, and it can cause the infected hosts to self-healing cutaneous lesions until mutilating scars in mucosal membranes, particularly in the nose and throat. The treatment against disease presents problems, and the diagnosis is hampered by variable sensitivity and/or specificity of the tests. In this context, the development of prophylactic vaccines could be considered as a strategy to control the disease.

B-Cell Epitopes-Based Chimeric Protein from SARS-CoV-2 N and S Proteins Is Recognized by Specific Antibodies in Serum and Urine Samples from Patients.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus underscored the crucial role of laboratorial tests as a strategy to control the disease, mainly to indicate the presence of specific antibodies in human samples from infected patients. Therefore, suitable recombinant antigens are relevant for the development of reliable tests, and so far, single recombinant proteins have been used. In this context, B-cell epitopes-based chimeric proteins can be an alternative to obtain tests with high accuracy through easier and cheaper production.